Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [491]

When August arrived at the scene, he saw a smug-faced Gary Oak, a Hoopa whose expression loudly declared "Praise me, praise me!", and an unconscious man sprawled on the ground with a sizable lump on his head.

"This is the guy you said was stalking you?" August asked, eyeing the unconscious figure skeptically.

Although the man was knocked out cold, August's intuition as an International Police officer immediately raised doubts—no matter how he looked at it, this guy didn't seem like a Plasma grunt.

Gary, oblivious to August’s skepticism, puffed his chest proudly. "Yep! I spotted him in the crowd right away. He tried to run, but I acted decisively!"

Hoopa eagerly chimed in, claiming credit. "Hoopa knocked this guy out cold!"

August wisely refrained from commenting.

At that moment, the unconscious man let out a pained groan, slowly regaining consciousness.

"Where…am I…?"

Clearly disoriented, the man struggled to make sense of his surroundings.

Gary seized the opportunity, interrogating him sternly. "You better confess! What did Team Plasma send you to follow me for?"

"That's right, confess quickly—Hoopa!" Hoopa echoed, perfectly in sync with Gary—probably thanks to those donuts Gary bribed him with.

"Team Plasma?" The man blinked in confusion. "You mean that Pokémon rights group that's been making waves lately? You’ve got the wrong guy."

Gary snorted disdainfully. "Quit acting innocent! You're clearly from Team Plasma, sent to tail us. Your cover's already blown. Stop resisting!"

"Yeah, exactly—Hoopa!" Hoopa emphasized his point by brandishing his "weapon."

Only then did August notice the "weapon" Hoopa had used—a meter-long baguette.

The sight made the man shrink back nervously, but he still protested weakly, "But I’m really not from Team Plasma!"

"Seems you won't shed tears until Cofagrigus shows up!" Gary pressed on. "If you're not from Team Plasma, why were you stalking me?"

At Gary's sharp questioning, the man began stuttering, his eyes darting around nervously.

"Ha! Can't answer, can you?" Gary sneered triumphantly. Adopting August’s official manner, he declared, "Now, under suspicion of involvement in illegal organizations and stalking a League official—"

Hearing "stalking a League official," the man panicked instantly. "Wait, wait, don't arrest me! I'll tell you everything!"

Gary shot August a proud look.

August: "…"

By now, he was fairly certain—this man wasn’t part of Team Plasma at all.

Simply put, Gary had captured the wrong person.

Sure enough, just as Gary basked in self-satisfaction, the man blurted out, "Actually…I’m a talent scout!"

"What!?"

"A talent scout?"

Gary was dumbfounded. Hoopa was equally baffled, though his confusion was about something else entirely.

"What’s a talent scout—Hoopa?"

"Someone who discovers ordinary people, ties them up with contracts, and turns them into actors to make money for their company," August succinctly explained.

"Don’t put it so crudely! My ID is in my pocket. I'm with Pokéstar Studios!"

After fishing out the man's ID and confirming his identity via the International Police database, not only Gary but even August wore peculiar expressions.

So, he really is a talent scout?

Although August had already guessed the man wasn’t Plasma, being approached by a talent scout was still unexpected.

Alright... August admitted to himself that while Gary had only half his own charm, his appearance was indeed above average. Plus, with Gary’s constant need to show off and his exaggerated bravado, he actually did fit the profile of someone suitable for the entertainment industry.

Gary’s expression shifted from shock to embarrassment mixed with excitement.

"You should've said so sooner!"

Never had he imagined that a talent scout would approach him. Didn’t that basically confirm he had star potential?

"You didn’t exactly give me a chance to talk…" the scout muttered.

At the time, the man had suspected Gary wasn’t quite sane and had just decided to leave—until Hoopa knocked him out with a baguette.

Gary hurriedly unlocked the handcuffs, apologizing and asking eagerly, "So, Mister Talent Scout, does this mean I can star in a movie?"

"I'm one of Pokéstar Studios’ top ten scouts of the year! Many big-name celebrities were discovered by me!" the scout bragged proudly.

"Then which movie did you think I was suited for?"

Amid Gary's expectant gaze, the scout produced a script from his bag:

"Golbat and the Dark Knight!"

The title alone screamed big-budget!

Gary flipped through the script, discovering it told the tale of a young man from the alleys who, together with his Golbat, grew into a hero dispensing justice.

"You’re inviting me to play the Dark Knight? Not bad! You’ve got an eye for true heroism!" Gary was thrilled, quickly turning to show off to August.

But his joy was abruptly cut short.

The scout shook his head. "Not the lead. That role was filled ages ago."

"Then…the butler?"

Although the butler was a bit old, it wasn't out of the question…

"Nope."

"Then…?"

"I chose you because I think you're perfect for the villain!" On reflection, Gary's earlier unhinged behavior fit the antagonist perfectly.

The scout grew visibly excited at the thought.

"The villain?" Gary stared down at the page detailing the antagonist.

Two words glared back at him:

The Joker.

As Gary stared incredulously, the Joker’s bright red nose seemed to leap off the page onto his own face.

...

In the end, the talent scout fled for his life under Gary’s murderous glare.

But before leaving, he still managed to drop off his business card, saying Gary could contact him if he ever changed his mind.

“Hahahahaha!!”

As soon as the scout disappeared from sight, Zinnia, who'd been holding back for ages, finally burst out laughing uncontrollably.

Gary’s face flushed crimson as August tried—and failed—to keep a straight face. He muttered darkly under his breath, cursing things like "shitty scout" and "trashy movie doomed to flop."

“You know, the Joker’s actually not bad!” Caitlin remarked thoughtfully after glancing through the script. “Sure, he’s the villain, but he’s a charismatic character.”

“No way! I'd rather jump off a cliff than play the Joker!” Gary declared stubbornly. “Not in a million years!”

“But it’s your chance to become a star!” Zinnia teased.

“Whoever wants to be a star can go do it themselves!”

August, amused by this spectacle, silently concluded: Some people enjoy the show, others avoid their reflection.

But Gary’s reaction was definitely a bit extreme…

“Alright, enough about that.” August decided to spare Gary further embarrassment. “We should focus on what to do about Team Plasma.”

He’d initially hoped Gary had captured a Team Plasma member they could use as leverage to find a breakthrough against the organization.

Unfortunately, Gary had grabbed the wrong guy.

Nearby, Mew pulled out a piece of candy, trying to trade it with Hoopa for a donut. Hoopa shook his head furiously, holding up two fingers—two pieces of candy.

August had bought Mew an enormous bag of candy earlier.

Inwardly ecstatic, Mew pretended to hesitate, finally handing over two candies with an exaggerated show of reluctance, receiving the donut in return.

Hoopa was delighted, and so was Mew.

As Mew took a joyful bite out of the donut, Gary, eager to change the subject, spoke up again. “August, didn’t you have Hoopa capture a bunch of Team Plasma grunts before? Why not try using them to find a lead?”

“We can try,” August replied, “but don’t expect much.”

These operatives were likely fiercely loyal and, even if they could pry open their mouths, they’d probably know little more than surface details.

He sent a quick message to Koga, asking him to use his extensive experience as a former Team Rocket executive to interrogate the captured Team Plasma grunts.

Zinnia punched the air enthusiastically. “Let’s just have Hoopa teleport us straight to Plasma’s headquarters and round them all up at once!”

“And under what pretext?” August shook his head firmly. “The Unova branch did gather some initial evidence of Team Plasma smuggling stolen Poké Balls, but their investigation was ambushed before they could form a concrete case. We currently lack sufficient evidence.”

August always insisted on procedural justice. No matter how aware he was of Plasma’s true nature, he refused to move without solid proof.

With both their ideas shot down, Gary and Zinnia were visibly frustrated.

At this point, Caitlin suggested, “What if we contacted the International Police branch here in Unova? I’ve met Looker-san before. He’s quite capable. Since the League can’t help right now, having more people would definitely make things easier.”

“Hmm…” August considered it briefly, then nodded in agreement.

It wasn’t that August hadn’t considered reaching out to Looker already. But he was reluctant to embarrass a friend, knowing that Looker’s recent operation had failed. Given Looker's character, August worried he might feel humiliated by needing outside help.

Still, Caitlin had a point—more hands meant faster results. If they wanted to swiftly handle Team Plasma, they couldn’t ignore Unova’s branch.

He took out his phone and messaged Looker:

[GardevoirSupermacy]: I’m in Unova. Where are you right now?

[Looker]: You’re already here, August?

[GardevoirSupermacy]: Yeah, just landed and got greeted by Plasma thugs blocking the airport…

[Looker]: Ah, so that was your handiwork. No wonder…

[GardevoirSupermacy]: Anyway, Headquarters sent me to help handle Team Plasma.

[Looker]: Seems like you’ve got to clean up the mess I made again, huh?

Looker’s embarrassment was obvious.

August typed back quickly:

[GardevoirSupermacy]: Don't worry about any mess. You know firsthand how tough Plasma is—better than me, probably. Where are you now? I’ll come find you for some intel.

[Looker]: I’m currently in Nuvema Town.

Nuvema Town?

Hadn’t Professor Oak just headed there to visit Professor Juniper? What a coincidence…

[GardevoirSupermacy]: Stay put in Nuvema. I’m on my way now.

Putting away his phone, August glanced at Zinnia and Gary. “Let’s go. We're heading to Nuvema Town.”

He turned to Caitlin, adding, “Coming with us?”

Caitlin considered briefly. “I came out to find Alder-sama, but I don’t have a set destination. Might as well tag along.”

August nodded, satisfied.

Zinnia’s gaze, however, flickered suspiciously between August and Caitlin.

Suspicious. Extremely suspicious!

As a Unova Elite Four member, Caitlin had plenty of subordinates. Why would she need to personally search for Alder?

Something’s definitely fishy here…

...

Nuvema Town.

A small seaside town located in southeastern Unova, famous as the site of Professor Juniper’s Pokémon laboratory.

As August and Gary arrived, they immediately felt the tranquil atmosphere surrounding Nuvema.

“What a peaceful place!” August remarked appreciatively.

Hearing this, Gary suddenly recalled a story Sabrina had once told about Vaniville Town back in Kalos—a quaint, flower-filled town that had once radiated pastoral charm. That is, until August visited…

The instant this thought crossed Gary’s mind, August whipped his head around sharply. “Are you silently insulting me?”

Gary’s heart nearly jumped out of his chest.

Could August sense even that?!

Outwardly, he denied vehemently. “Impossible! You know me, August…”

“Hah,” August scoffed knowingly. It's precisely because I know you that I had to ask.

Zinnia added fuel to the fire, cheerfully egging August on. “August, Gary’s definitely talking smack about you in his head! Don’t let him off easy!”

Gary glared furiously at Zinnia.

We’re both oppressed under August’s tyranny, do we really have to hurt each other too?
Aiding the villain won't end well for you!

In the end, August didn’t pursue the issue—mainly because they'd reached Professor Juniper’s lab.

Taking in the impressive research facility, August realized that Professor Juniper clearly wasn’t lacking in funds.

Once August explained his purpose, an assistant led them inside. They found Professor Oak, Ash, and Delia chatting happily with Professor Juniper.

But August’s attention wasn’t drawn by the elegantly dressed Professor Juniper; rather, his eyes immediately landed on the Pokémon in front of Ash.

Oshawott, Tepig, and Snivy.

---

This is a fan translation of 我，宝可梦称号大师！ by 落唯 白良. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!